Family Ties
by waterdragon719
Summary: Rose never questioned the Doctor. Until, of course, she discovers about his past and the unexpected twist which leaves her questioning everything. Because the Doctor was a father once...
1. Prolouge: The Doctor Returns

Hello and welcome to my second Doctor Who fic! This first chapter is just a prolouge...the next chapter will be much longer, promise. Nothing else to say really...read and reveiw, especially reveiw, don't be afraid to give constructie crit, hope you enjoy, all that jazz.

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Doctor Who. I only own my story. Oh, and the Tyler's backyard.

* * *

_Take my hand, my sweet, sweet child…_

_Travel the land with me._

_I'll show you the world, travel far and wide._

_From sea to shining sea._

_And when we're done I'll take you home._

_Where you'll sit and wait for me._

_As the tide flows in my sweet, sweet child._

_And takes me back to thee…_

Rose woke up with a start. She hadn't even realised she'd gone to sleep. She glanced down at her hand which was still clutching the book she had been reading, and then she frowned and put it back in her bedside table.

The song came back to her, its haunting tune running through her mind. What was it with that song? She was sure she'd never heard it before, yet at the same time it sounded so familiar…so real.

Why was it so real?

Rose groggily got out of bed. She couldn't be bothered trying to go back to sleep. She could still hear the song in her head, repeating over and over again…

She tip toed out of her room and quietly passed her sister's room, where she could hear the little girl snoring quietly through the open door. She heard the sheets rustling and hoped she hadn't woken Christine up, but then the little girl's breathing returned and Rose knew all was well.

Her parent's room was closed, so she needn't have worried so much passing there. After a few minutes of tip-toeing she was at the back door and outside into the cool, night air.

If there was one thing she loved about their house, it was the backyard. It was a huge garden filled with tulips and roses and some other flowers Rose didn't have a clue about. At the end of it all was a little path that led straight down to a beach. Rose could hear the waves now, as they tumbled onto the shore. Beautiful, but if you got caught in one they'd show no mercy and thrust you down into the sand where you'd be stuck.

Forever.

Rose shook her head and made her way down to the path. The night air was blowing through her hair, sending the sweet smell of the ocean towards her. The moon was shining brightly, lighting up the night sky. It was a full moon, and Rose couldn't help remembering the events at Torchwood Tower with Queen Elizabeth. She wrinkled her nose.

He still owed her that ten quid from their bet. Dammit. Next time she saw him she'd have to…

Rose gulped. She kept forgetting that she was in another world, and The Doctor was never going to come back. It was so hard not to hope though…not to imagine it. She missed him so much…after he'd left she'd just collapsed into herself. And then when Christine was born, she'd managed to pull herself back up. With the help of Mickey and Jackie of course.

But it still wasn't right. Not without him. She just missed the adventure, the sights…everything. Some days she could forget. Others it hit her like a sledgehammer. And there was always the constant nudging from her family.

_Forget about him sweetheart._ He mother had told her the other day, _I know it's hard. I know you can't stand it. But you just have to. He wouldn't want you to live like this._

_How would you know?_ She thought bitterly, _you didn't travel with him_.

Sometimes she could swear she could hear the Tardis. Even now it seemed to be calling her. The sound of the universe.

_Take my hand, my sweet, sweet child…_

_Travel the land with me._

Hold on…what was that?

_I'll show you the world, travel far and wide._

_From sea to shining sea._

There _was_ a sound. Something coming from the beach. It can't be…

_And when we're done I'll take you home._

_Where you'll sit and wait for me._

It was! She could hear it, and her heart leapt with joy. She wasn't imagining it!

_As the tide flows in my sweet, sweet child._

_And takes me back to thee…_

The sound stopped as Rose reached the beach. There it was, right in the middle of the surf, the most beautiful thing in the world.

The Tardis.

The door opened and Rose could hear her heart beating against her ribs. A man took a step out, and then he cursed as his foot plunged into the icy sea water.

"Oh bugger…" he shouted to no-one inperticular as water flowed into the Tardis, "This isn't good…and those were my new shoes too…" he made a face and pulled his foot out, shaking off a stray bit of seaweed.

"Need some help there sailor?" shouted Rose. The Doctor looked up in alarm, and when he saw her it took a moment for his face to form a wide grin.

"Rose!" he shouted, laughing, "Oh my god it's you!"

Rose was crying. Crying for joy. She ran out into the surf and reached out to hug him, and he accepted it, falling into her embrace.

"I thought you'd never come back." Sobbed Rose.

The Doctor patted her back, "I know…" he said, tears threatening to fall out of his face as well.

They stayed like that for a moment, and then The Doctor pulled away. He rubbed his wet eyes and grinned.

"Uh…before we continue…" he gestured to the Tardis, "Do you mind helping me move my ship?"

Sometimes when you get thrown in the sand, just when you thought you were stuck, someone comes to rescue you.

* * *

Did you like it?

Just as a warning, I might not update for a while...I have two other stories I need to work on and as soon asI've finished one things should go faster...but I will update as soon as possible.

Thank you! Now press that little button down there and reveiw please!


	2. The Unexpected Twist

Thank you to all of you who reveiwed the first chapter! I hope you enjoy this chapter, in which we discover what the unexpected twist is...oooh.

Hope you enjoy, I had lots of trouble with this chapter and later on I may re-do it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who...but I do own a Tardis money box. Thats close.

* * *

Rose couldn't help grinning over at The Doctor as they pulled out the mattress from the wardrobe. The Doctor was obviously having difficulties with the springy bed, and when they finally lifted it out he sighed and wiped his brow.

"You didn't have to go to so much trouble to set up the room." He said, looking around the spare room in awe.

"No probs." Said Rose, then she laughed, "Although I seriously think you need to work out."

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." Said The Doctor.

Rose couldn't suppress her joy at having The Doctor back. A year had seemed like forever, but finally he was back. The words made her dizzy.

_He's back. He's back. He's back…_

They made the bed without incident and Rose fetched a pair of pyjamas. The Doctor accepted them gratefully, but didn't go to put them on. He sat on the bed and gestured for Rose to join him.

"So…" he said, "Let's talk. How long have I been gone?"

Rose grinned. Always The Doctor, straight to the point.

"A year." She said.

"What's happened in a year?"

Rose thought for a moment, "We elected a new president, right after the New Year. Oh, you would have loved the fireworks, they were so cool…I'm still working at the shop unfortunately, but I'm looking at a promotion soon…they rebuilt Torchwood too, 'cept now they're being more careful with what they do. They call me sometimes, just to ask about some weird thing they find, but otherwise they leave everyone alone."

"Good. How's Jackie?"

"Mum's still with Pete, and now they've got little Christine. She's a little terror sometimes, but she's still the best sister I could ever want. Real sweetheart"

The Doctor smiled, "Aww…and Mickey? You two still…you know?"

Rose shook her head, "Mickey lives with his grandmother now. Visits all the time though."

"And you? You found anyone special?"

"Nope."

The Doctor fidgeted on the bed uncomfortably, "I hope that's not because of me."

Rose sighed, "A little, yeah."

"Rose, I'm sorry. I would have come back sooner if I could have."

Rose shook her head, "You're here now, and that's good enough."

The Doctor nodded, "Yes…still not sure how I got here in the first place. I was just leaving Thraxine-fortifia in their year 56000PG (Post-God) when I was pulled off course."

"Hole in the universe?" asked Rose. The Doctor shrugged,

"Could be. I didn't crash though, like last time. So I'm guessing it's something more than a hole…I think something actually pulled me in." his gaze had drifted and he was now staring out the window.

"Something…like what?" asked Rose, suddenly feeling slightly cautious. The Doctor turned to her,

"No idea!" he said light heartedly, "It can wait until morning. I don't know about you, but I'm stuffed."

Rose nodded and, reassured by The Doctor's look, stood up.

"Alright…goodnight." She said, and lightly kissed him on the cheek, "Glad you're here."

"Me too." Replied The Doctor, and he took her hand, "Me too."

Rose left the room in a daze. She didn't notice The Doctor as he lowered his head and sighed sadly, and then stood up and shut the door.

_You've got to tell her sometime._ He thought, _can't keep it forever.

* * *

_

The next morning, The Doctor woke up to the delightful smell of something cooking. He sniffed and grinned.

_Bacon and eggs. Typical. Even in a parallel universe they still have bacon and eggs._

He got up and stretched, then pulled on the dressing gown Rose had got him (first checking for apples in the pockets) and then made his way downstairs. In the daylight, the house looked more spectacular than it had last time he'd been here. He vaguely wondered whether they still had the dog, and couldn't help laughing fondly at the memory. The _look_ on her face…

The Doctor followed the smell to what seemed like the kitchen. He heard humming, and assuming it was Rose he walked in.

"Morning." He said, "Great sleep, thanks for the bed. Hey, is Jackie up? I think I'd better tell her I'm here, or she'll have a right fit…"

He trailed off as he noticed who was at the stove. The woman turned around and The Doctor blushed.

It wasn't Rose. It was Jackie. _Oops._

Jackie's mouth dropped open and she was frozen to the spot. The Doctor bit his lip.

"Uh…hi…"

"What the _hell_ are you doing here?" asked Jackie, shocked.

"Now that's not very nice…"

"How did you get here?" asked Jackie, still absolutely shocked, "What are you doing in the house?" she looked at the dressing gown, "What are you doing with Pete's dressing gown?"

"Ah…umm…" the Doctor stuttered, "I can explain this…

"Rose!" shouted Jackie, "_Rose! Get down here now!_"

A few seconds later, Rose was rushing into the kitchen, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"What's wrong Mum?" she asked groggily, then she noticed The Doctor. She blinked then lowered her head.

"Ah. Right."

"What's he doing here?" she asked, "Do you know about this?"

"He arrived last night Mum." Explained Rose, "Down at the beach."

"But how did he get there?" Jackie asked, more confused than shocked now, "I thought you said that was impossible."

"I thought so too." Said The Doctor, "But I think I was pulled in by something. I just…"

"Don't start." Said Jackie, "Just don't. I don't need to here your technical what-not. Just get out of here now."

"But Mum…" Rose protested, "He only just got here. At least let him settle down a bit."

Jackie stared at her, then at him, then back at Rose. Then she sighed.

"Don't you dare go swanning off without telling me." She warned her, "Now grab some breakfast."

She walked out of the kitchen. The Doctor turned to Rose,

"Uh…sorry."

Rose shook her head, "S'okay. You know Mum."

The Doctor nodded. Rose grabbed a couple of plates.

"Sunny side up?" she asked, gesturing to the eggs.

The Doctor grinned, "Yes please! I could do with a good cuppa too…got any tea?"

Rose shook her head, "No. They don't make tea in this universe." The Doctor's face fell, "Don't worry, I've got a substitute."

She went to the cupboard and pulled out two bags full of brown power. The Doctor stared at it sceptically.

"What's that?"

Rose smiled and grabbed a couple of mugs, "It's called tye, and it's the closest thing to tea you'll ever find."

Rose began to fill the mugs, and The Doctor glanced at the contents and wrinkled his nose.

"Looks like dirty dishwashing water." He said as Rose handed him the warm mug. He took a sip and grimaced, "Tastes it too."

Rose laughed, "You get used to it, trust me."

She raised her mug, "Cheers. To a chaotic start to the day."

Little did she know it was about to get much, much worse.

* * *

Later on, The Doctor and Rose were back at the beach busy examining the Tardis. The Doctor had changed out of the pyjamas and was now wearing a blue suit.

"What happened to the pinstripes?" asked Rose after a while. The Doctor looked up from underneath the metal grill that served as the Tardis floor and turned off the sonic screwdriver.

"Been wearing this for a while. Thought I'd try something new." He said, hoisting himself up and heading towards the other side of the control panel. When he didn't continue, Rose asked another question.

"You never said…" began Rose, "Did _you_ ever meet anyone?"

The Doctor didn't answer, and Rose was about to ask again when he spoke.

"Yes." He said, without looking at her.

The word stung Rose, even though that was the answer she'd expected. Somehow she'd known all along he'd find someone else, but it's one thing to believe something and another to hear it spoken out loud.

"Who?" she asked, not bothering to hide her hurt.

"Girl called Martha." Said The Doctor, "She was a great kid, you two would have liked each other."

"What happened to her?"

"She left. Said she couldn't handle the pressures of time travel. One day, she just left, without a goodbye, without anything. Waited for hours but she never showed up."

Rose gulped, her hurt replaced with guilt "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." Replied The Doctor, still not looking up. He looked as if he was about to continue, but instead went on with whatever he was doing.

Rose tried to think of something to lighten the mood, but then the Tardis bleeped. The Doctor ran around the control panel to the screen and clapped his hands.

"Found it!"

Rose ran over, "Found what?"

"I found the thing that pulled me in!"

"What is it?

"A tele-magnetic time tunnel! Oh this is _fantastic_!"

Rose blinked, "A what?"

"Tele-magnetic time tunnel. Ah…basically, the Tardis got attached to something here, in this universe, and decided to find it. The polarity between both objects created a kind of safety tunnel, allowing me to travel in without crashing. And there are only a few things I can think of that would cause this."

Rose nodded for him to continue, his enthusiasm rubbing off on her, "Like…?"

The Doctor turned to her, his face lit up and eyes shining, "A really, really powerful psychic who somehow got hold of something from a planet very close to my home…or another Timelord."

He turned back to the screen, "If I'm right, the Tardis should still be connected to whatever it is. It has to be something near the beach, because that's where I materialised…"

He paused. The Tardis bleeped at him again, and he stared at the screen.

"Doctor? Doctor, what is it?"

The Doctor didn't answer. He stared at it for a few seconds, and then whispered, "I knew it."

"Knew what?" asked Rose, concerned now, "Doctor, you can tell me."

The Doctor turned to her and smiled warmly, "Ah, Rose. Always the curious one. Even when you were a baby, I'd hold you and you'd try and grab my fingers and stuff them in your mouth…"

Rose froze. Did he just say…?

"Doctor?"

The Doctor had turned away from her and his face looked like he was in some sort of trance, "So tiny…you were so small you could have fitted into my coat pocket. And so cute…"

"Doctor!" interrupted Rose, "How did you know me when I was a baby?"

The Doctor snapped out of his reverie and a look of horror crossed his face.

"Shoot." He murmured, "Wasn't supposed to tell you that…"

"Tell me what Doctor?" asked Rose with a sudden sense of foreboding.

The Doctor swore under his breath and sighed, "Well, I guess you've earned the right to know after all these years…"

He paused, then took a deep breath, "Rose, I'm…I'm your father."

* * *

Ahhh! Don't hurt me ::ducks::

I do have some explaining to do...but you'll have to keep reading to hear it out. PLEASE review!


	3. So Star Wars

Sorry this took wa while, left ya hanging there for a bit didn't I?

In this chapter, we find out what the Doctor was talking about...I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Doctor Who, cept' the plots to my own little stories. Better than nothing!

* * *

_Previously:_

_The Doctor turned to her and smiled warmly, "Ah, Rose. Always the curious one. Even when you were a baby, I'd hold you and you'd try and grab my fingers and stuff them in your mouth…"_

_Rose froze. Did he just say…?_

_"Doctor?"_

_The Doctor had turned away from her and his face looked like he was in some sort of trance, "So tiny…you were so small you could have fitted into my coat pocket. And so cute…"_

_"Doctor!" interrupted Rose, "How did you know me when I was a baby?"_

_The Doctor snapped out of his reverie and a look of horror crossed his face._

_"Shoot." He murmured, "Wasn't supposed to tell you that…"_

_"Tell me what Doctor?" asked Rose with a sudden sense of foreboding._

_The Doctor swore under his breath and sighed, "Well, I guess you've earned the right to know after all these years…"_

_He paused, then took a deep breath, "Rose, I'm…I'm your father."

* * *

_

The Doctor poked his tongue out, oblivious to Rose's surprise. "Urk…that sounded so _Star Wars_…"

Rose blinked. "What did you just say?"

Her friend rolled his eyes. "Need me to repeat it? I'm your biological father. Your dad. Your…"

Rose laughed, and the Doctor stopped and frowned at her. "What? What's so funny?"

"You…" Rose laughed again. "my father? Come on, after all that travelling together I would have thought you'd be able to tell me the truth."

The Doctor stared at her for a moment, and then laughed too. "Ha…you think I'm lying!" he quickly sobered up. "Seriously though. I am your father."

Rose stared at him. and then laughed nervously. "Really Doctor. Tell me the truth."

"Really Rose, _I am your father_"

Rose frowned. "It's not funny anymore, Doctor. _Tell me the truth!_"

"I am!" the Doctor insisted. "I am totally, honestly, cross my hearts and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye _serious!_"

There was a pause, and then it slowly began to sink in.

"No…" Rose said quietly, her face contorting to confusion. "No! You can't be! You can't be my father! You're…"

"Alien?" Asked the Doctor, staring at her curiously to see her reaction.

Rose hesitated, and then shook her head. "No…that's not the point! How the hell can you be my father?"

"Easy," explained the Doctor. "It all starts with a male and a female…"

Rose glared at him. "Don't get all smart-arse with me, Doctor. This is _impossible_. Jackie and Pete are my parents. I have _pictures_ from when I was born."

"Pictures don't mean a thing," said the Doctor, looking away from her. "Pictures can be set up, manipulated. Look, it's time I had a talk with you. Gave you a chance to understand…"

"Oh, there's nothing to understand." Said Rose coldly. "Because you are lying. Come with me, and I'll show you the proof!"

She grabbed his arm and forcefully dragged him out through the TARDIS doors, determined to prove The Doctor wrong. He struggled for a moment, then gave up and allowed her to drag him along behind her.

* * *

Rose dusted off the old photo album and plonked it on the bed.

"Look at it." She ordered. He ignored her and glanced around the room.

"Have you redecorated?" he asked. "Terrible choice of colours mind you. Dark blue? Makes the room feel smaller. What about a nice sky blue? Or pink? Remind me later, I have to give you back all those photos that you left in your room…" he glanced around the bare shelves, then squinted at a magazine on the bedside table. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his spectacles. "Please don't tell me that man on the cover is Colin Farrell…I thought you would have at least been given my sense of taste. Then again…perhaps not such a good idea."

"Look at the book!" Rose said, laying a hand to the back of his head and turning it till he faced the album. He sighed, and then reluctantly opened it.

"There!" pointed Rose, "That's Mum, after she gave birth to me in the hospital. And look, that photo was a picnic we went on in…"

"In Birch's Park, December 23rd. You were staying with family for Christmas. Uncle Johnno and Aunty Beth. And whatshisname…that nerdy guy who played the oboe and was obsessed with collecting beetles…your cousin Alex! On Christmas day you got a blue blanket with a teddy bear on it and…" he thought for a moment, "Oh, and that was also the day you fell over while trying to walk and almost broke your nose on the footpath."

Rose stared at him, and then frowned.

"Yeah. Mum told me about that. How'd you know?"

"I planted those memories there." Said the Doctor as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Rose shook her head, "That doesn't mean anything. You travel in time. You can see in my mind. You could remember that from anywhere." She ran to the door and shouted, "Mum! _Mum!_"

The Doctor groaned. "Don't bring _her_ into this—"

Rose ignored him. "_Mum! Get up here now!_"

There were footsteps running up the stairs and in a few seconds Jackie appeared in the doorway wearing a blue dressing gown, her wet hair slapping against her agitated face.

"What is it?" she snapped, annoyed. "I just got out of the shower! Lucky Christine went out with Pete to do the shopping or she would have burst into tears with that racket. What's wrong?"

Rose pointed at the Doctor, "Tell him."

"Tell him what? What's he done now?"

"Tell him that I'm your daughter."

Jackie frowned. "Course you're my daughter. What's he been tellin' you?"

Rose turned to The Doctor triumphantly, "See! Mum said so, and she can't be wrong about her own daughter!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Oh please. You're grabbing at straws because you can't face the facts."

"What _facts_?" Rose protested. "You've shown me _nothing_ so far! And I've got all the proof in the world!"  
He opened his mouth, and then shut it again, gritting his teeth.

"Jackie," he said, turning to her instead, "Rose is not your daughter."

"What do you mean?" asked Jackie, glaring at him, "What the hell do you mean?"

The Doctor sighed, "Rose is my daughter Jackie. Not yours and Pete's. _Mine_."

"You sick bastard." Whispered Jackie in fury, "Get out of here!" she shouted.

"Let me explain!" protested the Doctor, obviously thinking quickly, "My wife died in the Time War, and she left me to look after our baby. I knew the only way to keep her safe was to take her away. So I gave her to another family and faked her birth…"

"She can't be your daughter!" screeched Jackie. "I was there when she was born! I was there in the hospital! I was the one who was in labour with her for _twelve bloody hours_!"

"Jackie, those aren't your memories." said the Doctor calmly. "Those were planted there. You never gave birth to Rose Tyler."

"No!" Jackie shouted, reaching out and tugging Rose to her. "No! You took her away before, and I am _not_ letting you take my daughter away again!"

"But she's not yours! She was never your daughter!" shouted the Doctor back, all the previous calm instantly disappearing. He stood up, causing the album to crash to the floor and its delicate photos to fall out and snap in their pockets.

"Stop it!" screamed Rose, jumping between them. "_Stop it!_"

The room fell silent. Rose stood between them, tears trickling out of her eyes and down her face.

"Doctor." She said. "I don't care if you _are_ my Dad. I don't care if you were there when I was born. You gave up that title long ago. Jackie and Pete are my parents as far as I'm concerned, and you can't just waltz in here and expect everything to work out for you. You can't take back eighteen years just because you want to. Now get out of here."

"But Rose…"

"Just get out!" screamed Rose. "_Get out!_"

The Doctor flinched, a rare thing for him to do. Rose expected him to continue the argument, but he didn't. He glanced at her and then walked out of the room, and Rose heard the door shut behind him as he left the house.

Jackie was crying on her shoulder, but Rose suddenly felt dry, as if the tears had run out. Beneath her anger, she felt a touch of guilt and sadness.

The look in the Doctor's eyes…he was so hurt. And Rose knew he was lonely. But what he had told her was so weird, so hard to understand.

She was afraid. But not because she was afraid of it being true.

She was afraid because, deep down inside there was the slightest doubt, that maybe it _was_ true.

"Mum…" she said detachedly. "I'm just going to get a cuppa. I'll be back."

* * *

Rose slipped quietly out the front door. She ran down to the end of the driveway and out onto the street. Outside their house, cars rushed by, and on the other side of the street a couple of joggers passed by, talking to each other. Young mothers pushed prams, a few elderly ladies carried heavy bags laden with shopping back home, and a few kids ran down the street laughing as their parents chased after them. It was a typical day really.

And in the midst of this Rose saw the Doctor, sitting on the old graffiti-covered bus stop in front of her house. She walked up to the bus stop and sat down next to him, but his gaze didn't waver from the busy road. He was just staring into space, hunched forward with his arms resting against his knees. It almost looked casual, but Rose knew just how good he was at hiding his feelings.

"Hey." She murmured.

"Hey." He murmured back, still watching the cars pass. They stayed like that for a few minutes, and then the Doctor spoke.

"Well." He said. "I sure made a right mess of things."

_State the obvious why don't you? _Rose laughed weakly.

"Yeah…sure did. Mum's really pissed off; you'll get a good slapping when you come back."

"I don't doubt it." Replied the Doctor. "knowing Jackie."

There was another awkward silence. Rose sighed.

"You know, I've thought about it, and I think I'm ready to listen. But don't think I'll actually believe you until I get some _real_ proof."

The Doctor turned to her and smiled warmly, with perhaps a hint of worry.

"Really? You're sure about this? Because once you know everything, there is no turning back."

Rose nodded. "Yeah. I know. I'll worry about that when you give me some proof."

The Doctor took a deep breath. "Okay…just remember what I said."

His eyes seemed to glaze over as he remembered. Rose shifted a little closer.

"Your mother…" he paused. "Your mother, a Timelady, gave birth to you a year before the Time War. When the Time War hit us, she died in the first line of battle. We needed everyone we could get back then, children were hoisting guns on their shoulders by the age of twelve. It was conscription at its worst. Nobody had a say in it. She died and it was left to me to try and protect you. But I wasn't prepared for a _baby_, especially not with hordes of Daleks on my heels. I knew I couldn't protect you forever, and I didn't want you to have to live a life of war and terror. So I did what I had to do…"

He gulped, "I gave you away to another family. Human was the obvious choice. I called in a few favours, picked a suitable candidate and off I went to fight. Didn't even think of what I'd do if I actually survived. I had no way of finding you again. So I just sort of…let go. Hoped you were living a normal life and got on with it."

Rose sat still. "That's _it_? You dumped me?"

"Rose, I had to. You would have died if I hadn't given you to Jackie and Pete."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"The truth hurts, Rose. You should know that." He paused. "Sorry…making things worse."

Rose took a deep breath. "How long have you known it was me?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I didn't know until I took the Time Vortex out of you. Even then I didn't fully believe it. I mean, the name Rose isn't exactly uncommon among a world of six billion people, and I hadn't seen you since you were a baby. I just knew you were special somehow. I didn't even recognise Jackie or Pete when we went to see them at the wedding. Mind you, I never saw them much when I gave you to them anyway. But even if I had known, I wouldn't have wanted to tell you."  
"Why?"

"Look what happened here." He said gesturing to the house. "I screwed a lot of things up by telling you. And that was just the beginning."

He gulped. "I'm not just going to get a slap from Jackie; she'll probably rip my heart out. Both of them."

Rose frowned. "Hold on. If you're a Timelord, and…" she hesitated with the word, "Mum was a Timelady, shouldn't I have two hearts?"

The Doctor bit his lip. "Um…yes. You should. But I had it removed."

Rose stared at him in shock as the statement hit home. "You _removed my heart_?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't give me that look Rose Tyler. You don't even remember it. But I was the one who had to make the decision; I was the one who had to sit there and watch as they cut up my baby girl and pulled out her insides. I had to do it. Can you imagine the chaos that could have ensued when you went to the doctor for checkups? I had to do it, but it doesn't mean I wanted to."

Rose was trying to process all this in her mind. It made her dizzy thinking about everything, the life she could have had. She could have grown up on the TARDIS, maybe learnt how to fly it. She could have gone to a Timelord school or whatever they had, and learnt how to speak alien languages. Maybe she could have had her _own_ TARDIS and flown around the universe all by herself. And what about Jackie and Pete? She would have ended up with a father and no mother instead of the other way round…The Doctor was staring at her expectantly, waiting for some sort of reaction, something that would tell him what she was thinking. Rose tried not to give anything away, but she was never really good at hiding emotions.

"Tell me about Mum." She said, trying to change the subject. The Doctor grinned, and Rose saw his face light up as he remembered.

"Julianahavenieraluxordian…"

Rose frowned, "What?"

The Doctor laughed. "That was her name. Although, she preferred being called Julia."

Rose nodded. "Okay…fair enough." She paused. "What was my name?"

"Rosaliagrangantiafortifherde."

Rose stared at The Doctor incredulously. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "I think I prefer Rose as well."

He continued "Anyway, It was long before the Time War, my first body. I met Julia back at Gallifrey, where I was there on…well; let's just say _unofficial_ business…"

"I hate to think of what that means." Interrupted Rose cheekily.

"Hey, who's telling the story? Anyhow, I got into a spot of bother with the TARDIS. Mind you, it was one of my first shots behind the control panel. Anyway, I kind of landed in an awkward spot."

"Where?"

The Doctor blushed, "Oh, um…in her bathroom. While she was in the shower."

Rose giggled hysterically. "Oops. Mightn't have been too happy with you…"

"No…she slapped me. Only to be expected. Of course, being the fine gentleman I am, I got quite flustered, started to argue that it wasn't my fault…in the end I apologised and took her out for a round of drinks. And we talked, as strangers going out for drinks do…and talked. One thing led to another, and well…we went out again."

Rose laughed. "It's funny. Alien planet, alien species, and you can still fall in love over drinks."

The Doctor grinned again. "Gallifrey isn't too dissimilar from Earth. We have trees and buildings and everything like that. But yeah, Julia was a great woman…never married until my eight regeneration though. Before that we'd just been sort of good friends. After that I decided to give up my travelling, kept quiet and settled down a bit. And then it all changed."

His grin faded. He lowered his head.

"Do you miss her?" asked Rose.

A single tear fell from the Doctor's eye and landed on the footpath below.

"Yes." He whispered. "Very, very much."

Rose sat back in the chair, her thoughts swimming. She recalled the events of yesterday.

"How did you get here?" she asked curiously. "You said you'd found out, but you didn't tell me."

The Doctor nodded. "The tele-magnetic time tunnel. It was caused by _you._ Remember what I said about what could have got me? You are another Timelord, so the Tardis got a hold of you and pulled me in."

"How'd I do that?"

The Doctor pointed to his head. "Telepathic abilities. All Timelords are connected by a kind of telepathic chain. That's how I know that I'm the only one left; if there were any others I'd feel them."

"Then how come you didn't know _I _was one? And how come I never felt anything?"

"The telepathy doesn't really kick in until early twenties to late thirties. It's like Timelord puberty. Have you noticed that since you turned twenty you've felt something in the back of your mind, like an itch? Or a buzz of some sort?"

Rose thought for a moment. Truth be told, she hadn't even realised when she'd turned twenty on the TARDIS. She had checked and re-checked her phone to figure out the right dates. She was twenty-two now, and she hadn't really noticed anything before, but…

There. A buzzing at the back of her skull. And she could hear something, like a faint voice at the edge of her mind. She tried to hear it better, and realised it was the Doctor. She could hear his thoughts…

_Take my hand, my sweet, sweet child,_

_Travel the land with me._

"Doctor." She said. "There's this song that I keep hearing in my mind…do you know what it is?"

"Take my hand my sweet, sweet child?" he asked, "is that the one?"

Rose nodded. The Doctor grinned. "Aww, you remember that! That was your favourite song; Julia would sing it every night before you went to sleep. Old Gallifreyan lullaby that one. Even _my_ parents used to sing it to me. Before…"

He stopped. Rose stared at him.

"Before what?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, I've done enough explaining today. I'm tired. Let's get back inside, shall we? See if we can't calm down Jackie."

Rose wasn't particularly satisfied with this answer, there was still so much she felt was missing from the equation. But she could tell that her companion wasn't going to pursue the matter, and she knew no matter what she said he wasn't going to open up again. She reluctantly stood up and took his hand.

_Give him the benefit of the doubt_, her mind was saying. _For now anyway._

She wouldn't think that for long.

* * *

So...there is the basic explianation. Next chapter, Rose gets a reality check...what really happened on New Earth? More explianations and an old face!

Thank you to all who reviewed, and special thanks to my amazing beta Tawa!!!!!!!!


	4. The Real Problem

G'day, welcome to chapter four! In this chapter, Rose gets a reality check, and we find outsome more weird and wonderful secrets. All I can really say is I hope you enjoy! 

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. Pity. I could do with a TARDIS...

* * *

_Previously:_

_"Doctor." She said. "There's this song that I keep hearing in my mind…do you know what it is?"_

_"Take my hand my sweet, sweet child?" he asked, "is that the one?"_

_Rose nodded. The Doctor grinned. "Aww, you remember that! That was your favourite song; Julia would sing it every night before you went to sleep. Old Gallifreyan lullaby that one. Even my parents used to sing it to me. Before…"_

_He stopped. Rose stared at him._

_"Before what?"_

_The Doctor shook his head. "No, I've done enough explaining today. I'm tired. Let's get back inside, shall we? See if we can't calm down Jackie."_

_Rose wasn't particularly satisfied with this answer, there was still so much she felt was missing from the equation. But she could tell that her companion wasn't going to pursue the matter, and she knew no matter what she said he wasn't going to open up again. She reluctantly stood up and took his hand._

Give him the benefit of the doubt_, her mind was saying._ For now anyway

* * *

The Doctor wasn't going to get away so easily, it seemed, for as soon as they entered the house Pete was standing in their way.

"So…" he said, arms crossed, "The Doctor finally returns."

The Doctor grinned, "Nice to see you too, Pete. I don't know how you can live in this universe without tea—"

"What have you done?" Pete asked, crossing his arms and glaring at him in frustration, "I come home with Christine and Jackie starts screaming at me about you being back and something about trying to take Rose away…can you explain that?"  
The Doctor thought for a moment, "Well, I could, but you wouldn't believe me."

"I live with my wife and daughter from a parallel universe." retorted Pete, "I've faced Cybermen, Daleks, and I've travelled through a void in time and space. I'm ready to believe anything you tell me."

"Okay." said the Doctor matter-of-factly, "Rose isn't your daughter."

Pete stood still from a minute, and then frowned.

"Right. Now what's the real reason Jackie's upset?"

"Rose isn't your daughter." The Doctor repeated.

"I know that." replied Pete impatiently, "She's the other Pete's daughter."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "No, Pete, I mean she isn't _your_ daughter. She's not Jackie's either. She's mine."

Pete frowned again, and then his eyes grew wide. He stared at the Doctor, and his head slowly nodded.

"Jackie was right." He said, "You are crazy."

Rose, who was still standing in the doorway, sighed in frustration, "Look, dad, I know it's hard to believe but…" she hesitated as the words came out of her mouth. "I think he might be telling the truth."

Pete shook his head, "No. You're nuts. All that time travelling must have mucked around with your brain…"

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "Oh, come on Pete. It's not _that_ hard to believe."

_You can talk._ Rose thought venomously.

"But…" stammered Pete, "She and Jackie are so similar…her eyes, her hair…"

The Doctor sighed, and then he laid a hand on Rose's shoulder and spun her around.

"Stand still." He said, pulling the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket. He shone it into her eyes and she had to fight the urge to blink several times before he finally pulled it away. He ran it over her hair a few times, and then he grabbed her arm, pushed her sleeve up and pointed the screwdriver at a patch of skin. Eventually he took it away and spun her around again.

"Eye dye, hair re-colouring and skin bleach can make a world of change." The Doctor commented smartly.

Pete was staring at her. He gulped.

"What?" Rose asked, a sense of foreboding forming as she imagined an alien face staring back at him.

"Your eyes have changed." He said, surprised. Rose couldn't take it any longer. She ran up the stairs and into the blue tiled bathroom, and headed straight towards the large mounted mirror on the wall above the sink. She stared.

Her eyes, which had previously been hazel, were now a deep, dark shade of brown. Rather like the Doctor's, she realised. She glanced at her hair and noticed that the roots had turned a sort of light brown-y colour. She remembered him doing something to her arm, and she pulled back her sleeve and looked down at the small, pink blemish smack bang in the middle of her skin.

"A birthmark." She said, voicing her thoughts out loud.

She sighed. Another thing the Doctor didn't tell her. How many more secrets was he keeping from her, and when would he tell her about them? She stared at the mirror and the strange girl stared back at her.

_You're even beginning to look like him._

She shivered as she remembered her mother's words on that terrible day, and then turned away from the mirror and walked hastily out of the bathroom.

Rose lay on her bed, eyes shut and thinking.

It was close to midnight. The little digital alarm clock flashed at her in the darkness, its red digits the only source of light. She imagined a little further away from her the Doctor sleeping in his own bed after the many hours he'd spent pacing his room and fiddling with the little radio in his room. Jackie and Pete had been furious at the prospect of him staying one more night in their house, but Rose had insisted he stay rather than catch a cold outside. She too wished he'd hurry up and drain the TARDIS so he could go back to his own room. The water had scrambled the main console and the rooms had become jumbled, it had taken half an hour to find the control room to discover the problem and another hour to get back out. Then she wondered how much Timelords actually slept, remembering when she was a little girl and she'd toss and turn in her bed for hours before exhaustion finally took over and she'd slip under the covers. Another quirky bit of evidence.

Today had been a chaotic day. I mean, she discovered some things about her past, Jackie would probably be mad at her for years to come, and she didn't know whether she'd ever see the Doctor in the same light again. But it would all work out in the end. Right?

She thought back to all the adventures she'd had with the Doctor. When they'd first met…oh boy, that was something she'll never forget. And their first trip to the year five billion. And…and Jack. She really missed Jack. The Doctor had told her he was supposed to be rebuilding the Earth, but she thought it was just an excuse in case he was dead…oh, what about Downing Street? She felt sorry for poor Harriet Jones, after the chaos the Doctor caused. That was after his regeneration. And then it was New Earth, that was…

_Shit._

Suddenly, Rose's eyes snapped open and she sat up in bed, breathing heavily. She remembered Cassandra's words to her after she'd possessed the Doctor. The memory stung her, burnt into her brain until she could only hear that simple sentence.

_I've been inside your head. You've been looking. You _like_ it._

Rose felt like she was going to be sick. Really sick. Cassandra had spoken the truth.

Holy shit. Had she loved the Doctor? No, no…she couldn't have. He was her father. She couldn't have _loved_ her father. No way. That was too wrong.

And yet…

Rose began to panic. She was confused. She was frightened. She felt so sick…dirty. Really dirty. She jumped out of her bed, leaped into the bathroom and began to wash her face, lathering it with soap and water. Getting all the dirt off her mind…

After ten minutes she looked at her sopping wet face in the mirror and slowly began to calm down. But the thought stayed in her mind. The horrid thought that wouldn't leave her alone. Then she remembered something else.

Cassandra had kissed the Doctor. He'd never mentioned it, but she had known. But, if the Doctor was her father, _why didn't he stop her_?

Rose felt sick again. She couldn't handle this…it was all wrong all of a sudden. Everything was wrong…she trusted him. Trusted him, and he had betrayed her with one possessed kiss. Her own father…

She was angry now. Really angry. She had to find out _why_.

Rose stormed through the corridors, and without hesitating threw open The Doctor's bedroom door and turned on the light.

The Doctor jumped in his bed, and as soon as he saw her in the doorway he bolted upright and then frantically began tugging at the sheets and pulling them up to his neck to hide his naked frame.

"Rose!" he said, instantly alert "What was that for? Is something wrong?"

"Why did you let me?" shouted Rose. The Doctor stared at her, and then rubbed his eyes and frowned.

"Huh?" he asked, utterly confused.

"Why did you let me?" Rose shouted again.

The Doctor shook his head, "Let you _what_?"

"You let me kiss you!" shouted Rose in a frenzied rage, "You let me kiss you on New Earth. Why did you do that?!"

The Doctor's frown disappeared, only to be replaced by concern.

"Rose…you were possessed!" he said.

"But you didn't know that, did you?" Rose retorted coldly. "You had no idea anything was wrong with me. You didn't even try to push me away!"

"It's not like I could!" the Doctor protested. "Cassandra was _all over me_! I was caught off guard! And if you remember I still had no idea you were my—"

"Yes you did!" shouted Rose. "You said you had an idea, but you couldn't believe it! Or didn't you want to believe it?" she lowered her voice slightly; "I thought you were my friend." She said. "But now I see you for what you really are, you selfish bastard!"

"Rose, I'm sorry—"

Rose glared at him; a hurt, stone cold glared that filled the Doctor with shame.

"Yeah, Doctor." she said, "So am I."

She walked out, slamming the door behind her. The Doctor wrapped the covers around him and ran to his window, watching helplessly as she flew out the front door and onto the street. Behind him, the Doctor could hear Christine crying, and his door opened again and he heard Jackie shouting at him from the doorway.

"What have you done now!?" she shouted, "Where's Rose!"

The Doctor swore. He ran over to the pile of clothes he'd dumped in the corner and began to rummage through them.

"Where are you going?!" shouted Jackie, "What did you do to her?"

The Doctor turned to her,

"Family matters." he said simply, and then he shut the door in her face. He pulled his clothes on, then pulled them off again in annoyance when he realised he'd put them on inside out. Trying again, he managed to gather himself together without incident. He struggled with his shoelaces for a minute and put his tie on so tight he almost choked to death. Finally ready, he marched out of his room and then broke into a sprint, flying past a shocked Jackie and out the door.

He had to find Rose and sort things out before he lost her again. He couldn't afford to do that.

* * *

Now it gets interesting...next chapter we meet another old face, and the Doctor gets in a fight. You'll soon find out why. Please review now! 


	5. Author's Note

G'day readers!

I know I have not updated in a while (I'm so sorry…) my beta kinda had to run off and I had a trouble with the story line. Yeah yeah, crap excuse, but it's all I have.

Anyway, I am afraid you will all have to wait a little longer. Something rather personal has come up, and I would like to sort it out, so I am temporarily leaving this website and not writing anything (except for my surface fic, which I have almost finished and has two chapters to go). I shall hopefully be back soon and you can all find out more about The Doctor and Rose's problems, but for now I must sit back and lick my wounds…

Don't worry, I assure you this is TEMPORARY. I will be back, cos I can't leave you hanging…till then, write your hearts out. I will review anyone else's stories when I get back! Enjoy the waiting music I shall play for you..._dumpa de dum dumpa de dum dumpa de dum diddly dum..._

Yours truly,

Waterdragon719


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